Marion school board to hold public work session on elementary search procedures after sheriff’s comments

Marion County Public Schools leaders said this week they will convene a public work session to discuss whether law enforcement should be allowed to conduct random administrative searches in elementary schools, after Sheriff Billy Woods raised concerns following a recent incident in which a student brought a gun onto a school bus.

During a presentation of the district’s annual Florida Safe Schools Assessment on Sept. 18, board members and staff acknowledged heightened community attention on safety. Woods recently released an emotional video suggesting the district had denied his office the ability to use gun-sniffing dogs on elementary campuses, a claim district officials have said was inaccurate.

Board Chair Lori Conrad confirmed the issue would be addressed publicly. “Before this is limited, we are going to have a work session. We need everybody at the table,” she said.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Danielle Brewer told the board she contacted Woods directly after his comments were posted on the Marion County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page. She said while law enforcement already has a presence at every school in Marion County, she agreed to reconvene the district’s safety group to examine what expanded searches at the elementary level might look like.

“That’s not to say it will happen in the same way as middle or high schools,” Brewer said. “But because the request was made, we will have that conversation.”

Conrad reminded the public that the superintendent has the authority to decide whether elementary searches are implemented, but the board wants to make sure the discussion happens in the open.

Board members expressed differing perspectives but emphasized the need for decisions to remain data driven. Dr. Sarah James, who asked staff to review 10 years of incident reports, noted there were just 43 weapons-related cases across all 30 elementary campuses during that span, averaging about one per year. But James explained many of the cases didn’t involve intent to hurt anyone, such as a child who carried a pocketknife.

“I am vehemently against expanding these procedures into the elementary setting in any way that is going to make children aware in the elementary school setting that we are doing it,” James said.

Conrad also drew on her own classroom experience.

“The first year that we had an ALICE drill, I was teaching first grade. It was extremely challenging to have those kind of conversations with a 6-year-old,” she said. After the exercise, she recalled taking her class to music and, “I wept”.

ALICE drills are active-shooter response trainings that teach students to Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. Conrad said the experience underscored the emotional toll such safety measures take on young children and teachers alike.

Eric Cummings, a former law enforcement officer, said the board’s focus remains on student safety while maintaining positive partnerships with police. “Safety is the number one thing — getting them there safely, getting them home safely and while they’re there,” he said.

Other board members echoed concerns about balancing visible security measures with student well-being. Allison Campbell thanked Conrad for her leadership as both a board chair and longtime elementary educator following the bus incident, noting that many parents share sensitivity about how safety procedures affect young children.

District staff also stressed that campuses are already fortified under recent state law, with upgrades including cameras, door buzzers, access-control systems and storeroom-function locks. The district conducted 1,171 threat assessments last year, most of which were resolved at a low level without requiring full team intervention.

The board has not yet scheduled a date for the work session, but members said it will be a priority to hold one soon.